Vacuum grip rail anchor



Sept. 9, 1952 H. T. JONES 2,609,991

' VACUUM (.YRIP RAIL ANCHOR Filed March 4, 1948 0 (9 O c/ 0 ca fi a Q? @EEQQ g U WEE/ i .w mmm I 5 i A f f 5 9 'INVENTOR m ag \c: m BY Y W ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 9, 195?.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE This invention relates to rail anchors and aims generally to improve the same. More particularly, the invention aims to provide a vacuum grip rail anchor for operative association between a railroad rail and railroad rail-seat in otherwise conventional railroad track assembly. The rail may be of any conventional or special form presenting a rail-base to rest in a rail-seat, and the rail-seat may be presented by a tie-plate or the like which may likewise be of any conventional or special form.

Important objects of the invention, severally and interdependently, are to provide economical and effective means (1) to check and restrain rail creep action as occasioned by surging impulses of the rail under rolling stock; (2) to reduce chafing of ties; (3) to reduce metal fatigue; (4) to reduce lifting of rail spikes under the wave-like action of a railroad rail when stressed under rolling stock; and (5) to provide novel features and combinations of parts contributing to the attainment ofyarious ones of the aforesaid objects. Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments of the invention. The invention resides in the novel features and combinations hereinafter described and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings of illustrative embodiments of the invention:

Figs. 1 to 5 are planviews of several embodiments of vacuum grip rail anchor diaphragms according to the invention.

Fig. 6 is a more or less diagrammatic plan view of a further embodiment integralized with a railseat.

Fig. 7 is a more or less diagrammatic transverse sectional view on an enlarged scale through the lower portion of a rail and tie-plate assembly embodying any one of the forms of the invention, exemplified therein by the form of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a sectional detail showing an illustrative manner in which any of the diaphragms of Figs. 1-7 may be reenforced against flowage.

Referring to the several embodiments shown in the drawings and also to the assembly in Fig. 7,'it will be seen that in all embodiments the invention provides a tenacious element, herein of compressible resilient composition such as rubber,

interposed between the rail-base II and the railseat or tie-plate 2 of railroad trackage, and preferably arranged to be snubbed in its recoil, as by vacuum generating means shown as doubleended vacuum cups or perforations 1 or lb, or single-ended vacuum cup elements In. lc or M.

In theembodiment illustrated in Figs. 1- and '7, the tenacious element 3 consists of a diaphragm of compressible composition such as rubber, which preferably includes, as exemplified in Fig-8, a weftless rayon core 3a reenforced with a nylon shield 3b all vulcanized into the diaphragm 3 to resist flowage or deformation. Such cord-reenforced construction is well-known in the art of manufacturing rubber tires for automobiles, and need not be further detailed here. Still referring to Figs. 1 and 7, the diaphragm 3 therein comprises vacuum grip elements shown as double-ended vacuum cups or perforations 1 extending vertically through the body of the diaphragm. and also surface ribs 8 to enhance the non-slip action of the diaphragm relative to the rail or the rail-seat or both. As is shown in Fig. 7, the two faces of the embodiment of Fig. 1 are similar and this embodiment is simply placed in the rail-seat 2 before placing of the rail 4 therein, or with the rail lifted to admit its insertion, after which the rail-spikes 6 are driven in the usual manner. It will be seen that under the weight of the rail the compressible diaphragm 3 is subjected to partial compression and that the pressure of the air in the perforations or vacuum cups I will after an interval becomeabout equal to atmospheric pressure.

With this assembly, when the rail is subjected to the usual wave action under the great weight of a moving train, the load, applied through the rail-flange I I, further compresses the diaphragm 3. The residual air contained in the vacuum cups or perforations 1 may in part escape during this further compression, but such further escape is probably not essential to the operation of the device. When the rail tends to lift from the rail-seat, during the up-stroke of its wave motion, and to impact against the heads of rail-spikes 6, with the present construction the expansion of the compressible diaphragm 3 creates a partial vacuum in the perforations or vacuum spaces 1. This partial vacuum snubs or restrains the rise of the rail and thus limits and reduces impact of the rail-flange H against the heads of rail-spikes 6, and thereby limits and reduces the lifting of the rail spikes. 1

During the whole of the wave motion of the rail, the edges of the perforations or suction cups I and the edges of the ribs or; other non-slip members l tenaciously resist longitudinal motion of the rail relative to the tie-plate 2, especially at the tops of the upward strokes of the wave. and the bonding of the rail and rail seat to the diaphragm by the suction effect tends to cause the raised rail to settle back into its seat and in the same position previously occupied. Thus the tendency of the rail to creep when rolling stock is operated over it is counteracted and reduced, and may be virtually eliminated when a sufficient number of tie-plates, or a suflicient area of rail-seats, is supplied with the vacuum grip rail anchors.

The invention may be variously embodied, as illustrated,.for example in Figs. 1 to 6. Thus in Fig. 2, the vacuum grip elements are in the form of single-ended cups la extending only part way through the diaphragm 3. In other words, a vertical section through the form of Fig. 2 would appear similar to the vertical section shown in Fig. 7, but would look as though a horizontal partition bridged the perforations 1 in Fig. 7, intermediate the height thereof. This construction has some advantages. For example, it allows the reenforcing 3a, 3b (Fig. 8) to extend in uninterrupted fashion throughout the entire area of the diaphragm.

Fig. 3 illustrates a simplified form of the invention, in which the ribbed surfaces 8 of 'Fig. l are omitted, the perforations or vacuum generating means lb terminating in planar fiat surfaces 8b.

Fig. 4 shows another simplified version, similar to Fig. 2, but with the ribs 8 omitted and the bottomed cups 'Ic terminating in planar surfaces 80.

In the form shown in Fig. 5, the ribbing elements 8d are arranged to cross one another, gridwise; and the spaces 1d between the ribs 8d, when the latter are continuous, as shown, constitute vacuum gripping elements.

In each of the embodiments of Figs. 1 to 5, tenacious holding elements are presented at both faces of the diaphragm 3, and on the top face thereof grip the diaphragm to the rail-base and at the bottom face thereof grip the diaphragm to the rail-seat.

This double faced form is the preferred construction, but as shown in Fig. 6, the tenacious holding means may be presented at one surface only of the diaphragm, the other face of which may be bonded to the metal surface to which it is applied by any suitable adhesive bond in lieu of the vacuum bonding means employed in the embodiments of Figs. 1 to 5. Thus in the illustrative arrangement of Fig. 6, the rubber diaphragm 3 is plane-surfaced the claims are therefore intended to be included thereby.

WhatIclaim is: 1 1. A rail anchor for securing a railroad railbase member in a. rail-seat member comprising a compressible resilient diaphragm for interposition between the rail-base member and the rail-seat member, said diaphragm comprising .4 means for bonding it to each of said members including vacuum generating elements terminating in at least one of its faces for restraining lifting and longitudinal movement of the rail relative to the rail-seat.

2. A rail anchor for securing a railroad railbase member in a rail-seat member comprising a compressible resilient diaphragm for interposition between the rail-base member and the railseat member, said diaphragm comprising means for bonding it to each of said members including vacuum generating elements terminating in its respective faces for restraining lifting and longitudinal movement of the rail relative to the rail-seat.

3. A rail anchor according to claim 1 in which the face of said diaphragm in which said vacuum generating elements terminate is a substantially planar face.

4. A rail anchor according to claim 1 in which the face of said diaphragm in which said vacuum generating elements terminate is a rib-formed planar face.

5. A rail anchor according to claim 1 in which the face of said diaphragm in which said vacuum generating elements terminate is a transversely rib-formed planar face.

6. A rail anchor according to claim 1 in which the face of said diaphragm in which said vacuum generating elements terminate is a gridwise ribformed planar face.

7. A rail anchor according to claim 1 in which the face of said diaphragm in which said vacuum generating elements terminate is a transversely and longitudinally rib-formed planar face.

8. A rail anchor according to claim 1 in which the face of said diaphragm in which said vacuum generating elements terminate is otherwise an uninterrupted planar face throughout its extent.

9. A rail anchor according to claim 1 in which said diaphragm is reenforced by embedded cords the vacuum generating elements terminating in against flowage or deformation.

10. A rail anchor according to' claim 1 in which the vacuum generating means terminate in one member-engaging face only of the diaphragm and in which the other face is bonded to the member engaged by it.

11. A rail anchor according to claim 2 in which the vacuum generating elements terminating in the respective faces are in the form of vacuum cups in the respective faces.

12. A'rail anchor according to claim 2 in which a rail-seat in which the rail is positioned, 01' a rail anchor comprising a compressible resilient diaphragm interposed between the rail-base and the rail-seat, said rail anchor comprising means,

for bonding it to each of said rail-base and railseat members including vacuum generating means for snubbing the rise of the rail relative to the rail-seat during the up-stroke of the wave motion imparted to rails by passage thereover of rolling stock.

15. A combination according to'claim 14 in which one face of said diaphragm is adhesively bonded to one of said rail and rail-seat members;

and in which said vacuum generating means comprises apertures in said diaphragm opening into the other face thereof and vacuum bonding the diaphragm to the other of said members.

16. A combination according to claim 14 in which said vacuum generating snubbing means comprises apertures in said diaphragm opening into the faces thereof in contact with said rail and rail-seat members.

.17. A combination according to claim 14 in which said vacuum generating snubbing means comprises perforations through said diaphragm opening into the faces thereof in contact with said rail and rail-seat members.

18. A combination according to claim 14 in which said diaphragm is transversely ribbed on at least one of its faces to augment its resistance to creeping of the rail relative to the rail-seat.

HERBERT TERRA JONES.

6 REFERENCES orran UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Number Name Date Doughty et a1 Sept. 19, 1905 Kirkbride Nov. 4, 1930 Verplanck Oct. "1, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain Oct. 8. 1940 Netherlands Sept. 17, 1935 

